


Quietly Into The Night

by JimmyPenguin421



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Gets a Hug, Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Ahsoka Tano is a good grandpadawan, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Literal Sleeping Together, Obi-Wan Kenobi Gets a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Episode: s04e15 Deception, Post-Episode: s04e18 Crisis on Naboo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JimmyPenguin421/pseuds/JimmyPenguin421
Summary: Ever since Obi-Wan was announced alive, Anakin has been avoiding him. There is hurt on both sides, and it seems as though things may never be the same. Fortunately, Anakin and Obi-Wan have a determined little Padawan who isn't going to let her family fall apart.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 20
Kudos: 130





	Quietly Into The Night

It's been only a few hours since Ahsoka found out Obi-Wan was alive.

When she found out, she was pretty sure she was in some type of shock, because it didn't really seem to register.

She had held Obi-Wan as he _died,_ felt his pulse stop and his Force signature fade. He couldn't possibly be alive.

But he is, and Ahsoka thinks that maybe she's still in that weird state of shock or whatever it was, because she doesn't really feel anything.

She keeps telling herself _Obi-Wan is alive, Obi-Wan is alive, Obi-Wan is alive,_ trying to elicit the reaction she knows she should have.

But still she feels no relief, no joy.

The strange thing is that she knows in her heart that she _is_ relieved, and she _is_ overjoyed to have her other master back, but she doesn't _feel_ it.

She only feels empty and cold, because it _hurts_ that Obi-Wan would do that to them—that he would make them think he was gone without even telling them it was a plot, instead _using_ them and their love for him to make it look real.

Why did he do it?

Or—why didn't he _not_ do it?

If he cares for Anakin, and for her, why would he put them through what he did? They could've gotten someone else, someone who has no attachments, nobody who cares for them the way Anakin and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan care for each other.

But… no matter how hard, how stubbornly she holds on to her love for Obi-Wan, she can't stop a small part of herself from doubting that he really cares. She wants to believe that he does, but the events of the past few days make it hard to convince herself.

Deep inside, though, she knows for certain that Obi-Wan cares, because she saw him approach Anakin to talk, and she could feel how sorry he was, and she could see it too because Obi-Wan for once let his mask down just to show how much he wanted to make things right.

And Anakin just turned and stormed away, anger and pain swirling around his Force signature, before Obi-Wan could even say his name.

Ahsoka understands. Anakin was hurting, she knows he still is, and it's natural to want to stay away from something that hurt you.

But when Anakin had gone, and Obi-Wan was left staring sadly after him, Ahsoka could feel Obi-Wan's hurt too. Not burning and angry like Anakin's, but cold and empty, like how she feels.

She knew she should say something. And she remembers turning to Obi-Wan and opening her mouth to speak—what she was going to say, she didn't know—but before she could Obi-Wan was walking away too, and there she was, alone and torn between her two masters as they walked away from each other and from her.

She's alone again now, too tired to be awake but too restless to sleep, tossing and turning and mussing the blankets Anakin had so carefully tucked her into.

Anakin tucking her in is a ritual of sorts, one that goes all the way back to near the beginning of their time together. When she was infected with the Blue Shadow Virus, it had been so cold. She hadn't been able to hide her shivering from Anakin, and he brought her blanket after blanket until she convinced him that she would either suffocate or melt.

Even after she was better, he kept coming to her room every night to give her extra blankets (and once a stuffed tooka, which still hides under her pillow).

She knows it makes Anakin feel better to ensure that she's feeling safe and secure, just as his tenderness and protection over her make her feel better.

But she feels neither safe nor secure tonight.

She wishes this mess had never happened, she wishes the whole _war_ hadn't happened, and nothing will ever make that better.

Rolling onto her stomach, she buries her face into her pillow and draws a shuddering, sobbing breath.

She just wants everything to be okay again. She longs for times past, when the only things to worry about were how early she had to get up and how many sparring sessions or silly, pointless arguments she could win, when things were so much simpler and they were all like a little family.

Will it ever be like that again?

She remembers feeling like this when Obi-Wan died, but now… somehow it's almost worse.

And—she tenses.

Did she really just think it would be better if Obi-Wan was _really_ gone?

That scares her, because she _loves_ him. She doesn't care what anyone says, she _loves_ Obi-Wan and Anakin and Padmé and Rex and Barriss and Plo and so many other people and she doesn't want _any_ of them to be gone _ever._

But if things are going to be like this—if Anakin is going to be angry and sulking, if Obi-Wan is going to be sad and quiet and distant—what's the difference?

And then—her breath hitches as she realizes.

There's still a chance. They're _not_ gone, not forever, they're still right here.

She just has to bring them back together.

And she can't bring Anakin and Obi-Wan back together without first bringing herself and Obi-Wan back together.

She lifts her head from her (now slightly damp) pillow, and reaches up to rub at her eyes with the heel of her hand. Then, blinking, she wriggles out from under the covers and lowers her feet to the floor.

She is going to get her family back.

* * *

There's nobody else around as Ahsoka slips through the hallways of the Temple, bare feet silent against the soft, cool carpets.

Obi-Wan's room isn't far from her and Anakin's, and it takes her less than a minute to get there. But once she's standing in front of the door… she hesitates.

She can sense Obi-Wan inside, and he's awake.

It almost feels worse to disturb him now than if he were asleep, because if he's awake then something is _keeping_ him awake, and…

No. That's exactly _why_ she needs to talk to him right now.

She raises her hand and knocks.

Her heartbeat thuds in her montrals, and she counts the pulses—one, two, three, four, five, six—

And then the door slides open, and there's Obi-Wan.

His face is _his_ face again, and they must've found out some way to get his hair back, because it looks just the same as before and Ahsoka is pretty sure hair doesn't grow that fast.

And he looks tired. Well, he doesn't look _tired_ really, but Ahsoka knows him well enough to recognize the Obi-Wan-pretending-to-not-be-tired look.

"Ahsoka? What are you doing up? Are you all right?"

She looks up at his concerned face, and it's at this point she realizes she probably should've planned what to say.

She wants to make things right again, she wants to tell him how glad she is that he's alive and how much it broke her to watch him die, how much she's hurting and how much Anakin is hurting and how much they need him.

The only thing that comes out is a shake of her head, and instantly Obi-Wan's arm is around her shoulders, infinitely gentle and comforting.

"Oh, little one, what's wrong?" he asks, his voice full of care and concern. "Do you want to come in?"

 _Yes,_ but for some reason it won't come out, so she just leans further into his arm, asking without words for comfort.

He doesn't say anything either, just slides his arm closer around her, and they go into his room. It looks just the same as ever—neat and clean, everything organized in a way that's impeccably perfect yet still has a very distinct touch of Obi-Wan to it.

He sits her down on the bed, and then brings the chair over from his desk. Judging by the pads and papers on the desk, he's been occupying that chair all night.

"Now," he says, sitting down and taking her hand in his, "what's troubling you?"

He can guess, she's sure of that, but he wants to hear it from her.

She doesn't know where to begin. Anakin won't talk to Obi-Wan, he barely talks to _her,_ and she understands because it's hard to talk to Obi-Wan after what happened and she still can't believe that he lied to them, and everything just feels all tense and wrong.

She looks down at her small hand in his, both absent of the gloves they wear so often, and she thinks she can feel the slightest pulse against her fingers.

The last time she held his hand, it hadn't been like this.

"Ahsoka?" he asks softly, and she can feel him leaning down the slightest bit to try and make eye contact with her.

"I…" she swallows, not able to get the words out, nor even to look up at him.

"It's all right." He gives her hand the slightest squeeze. "Relax. Breathe, little one."

Her shoulders shake as she takes in a deep breath, and when she exhales, that's shaky too. Obi-Wan's thumb rubs lightly back and forth over the back of her hand, the gentle strokes reminding her that she can take all the time she needs.

Finally her voice feels strong enough for her to hold it together, if only long enough for one of so many things she wants to say.

"I… I was really scared," she whispers. "When you got shot."

Obi-Wan doesn't say anything, but she can feel him tense ever so slightly.

"It was so… _real._ I…" she swallows again, and her breath gasps and shakes, "I thought you were _dead,_ Master."

He still says nothing. Why won't he say anything?

She looks up at him, and now he's the one refusing to meet her eyes, staring down at the floor.

She pokes gently at their bond, trying to get something out of him, just anything so she knows he's listening.

But he's shielding.

Something snaps.

She came here to talk to him, to help both of them heal, and she's trying to be open and honest and vulnerable, something she's struggled with her entire life, and he's meeting her with silence.

 _"_ _Why?"_ she cries, almost _screams,_ tearing her hand away from his _._ "You of all people, you _know_ what it's like! How could you…" A sob chokes her, and suddenly she realizes that there are tears falling from her eyes.

"…How could you do that to me?" she finishes in a whimper.

Guilt stabs through her at how selfish that sounds, but she doesn't care, she needs her grandmaster and the fact that he would do that hurts like nothing she could ever imagine.

Another sob tears up through her throat, and she feels herself instinctively beginning to curl into a ball.

But Obi-Wan stops her, his hands on her shoulders.

His finger pushes lightly under her chin, silently asking for her to look up.

Sniffling, she lets him lift her head to meet his eyes.

The utterly broken look on Obi-Wan's face isn't something she's ever seen from him before, and it scares her.

"I am so, so sorry, little one," he whispers, tears slipping down his cheeks as he moves from the chair to crouch directly in front of her, his hands still gripping her shoulders. "I am so sorry."

He lets down his shields, and the sheer weight of his sorrow and guilt and shame smash into her like a freezing ocean wave.

That does it. She throws herself into his arms, finally letting out the tears she's been holding back for the past week, or perhaps for even longer.

His arms wrap around her and hold her tightly, and she can feel the slightest tremble in them.

"I promise, little one, I will never let anything like that happen to you again," he whispers. "I am so sorry."

She reaches up and hugs him back, holding him as tight as she can to convey everything words can't express, that no matter what happened before, her grandmaster is _alive_ and she forgives him and she loves him.

There are no words. There don't need to be. In the span of a moment, a thousand feelings are exchanged between them in the Force, and Ahsoka knows everything will be all right again.

She holds tighter to him and cries not from sorrow or from heartbreak, but from relief.

* * *

She doesn't know how long it is, but eventually their tears slow.

They're still holding each other, sprawled on the floor in a messy pile of affection. She's lying in his lap, her arms still around him. One of his arms rests across her back while the other gently strokes over her head.

"You, little one, need to go to bed," he says softly.

She whines and tightens her grip on him. It's not that she doesn't want to go to bed, but she doesn't want to go back to her room and be alone again.

Obi-Wan chuckles softly. "As glad as I am that you enjoy my company, I am not a pillow, Ahsoka. You may sleep in the bed and use the pillows there."

Is he offering to let her stay?

Her gaze comes up to meet his, a hopeful smile pulling at her lips. She would love to stay, if it's okay with him…

He smiles back, and takes her arms to help her up. She's a bit dizzy from crying, but it passes quickly, and Obi-Wan is there for her to lean on.

Once they're both on their feet, he pulls back the perfectly made covers on his bed for her and gestures her inside. She slips into the bed, and he tucks the blankets snugly around her.

She can see where Anakin got it from.

"Good night, little one," Obi-Wan says, smiling down at her. Then he frowns. "Or… good morning, most likely."

They both laugh a little at that.

"Master Obi-Wan?"

"Hm?"

"Aren't you going to go to bed?"

He sighs. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka, but… I don't believe that would be quite, ah… proper."

She resists the urge to roll her eyes. That excuse might've worked, but she had seen the paperwork on his desk.

"But you need to sleep too," she says, looking up at him with wide-eyed concern that is perhaps just a little overplayed.

"I have some extra blankets, I'll sleep on the floor." He pats her head. "You get some rest now, all right?"

She knows better than to believe that. If he falls asleep, it'll be slumped over on his desk.

Suddenly she has an idea.

She looks up at him and gives him her saddest pleading eyes. "Please?"

The expression on Obi-Wan's face is unreadable, at least to her.

She pushes on. "I… I've been having nightmares, and… I think it would help if…"

He begins to give in at that, she can see it. The fact that she's not even lying, and that he probably knows all her nightmares were of him, makes it even better.

"All right," he sighs.

She smiles and scoots over.

Cool air touches her side as Obi-Wan pulls the blankets back, but it's only for a moment, and then she's warm again as he slips in beside her. The bed isn't small, but it isn't big either, and they have to squish a little to fit.

She doesn't mind. It's cozy.

Obi-Wan pulls the blankets back up, and she snuggles up to him, tucking her head against his chest and involuntarily beginning to purr herself to sleep.

His arm comes up to hold her, and he murmurs, "Sleep well, little one."

And she does.

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a oneshot, but now I think I might want to add more. Please tell me what you think!


End file.
